Reversing mechanism for display apparatus.



l. J. ROLFE. I .REVERSING MECHANISM FOR DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.4. 1915- v Patented July-17, 1917.

5 SHEETSSHEET I.

l. J. ROLFE.

REVERSLNG MECHANISM FOR DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man 050.4, 1915.

Patented July 1?, 1917.

5 SHEETSSHEET 2.

l. J. ROLFE.

'RE'vERsmG MECHANISM FOR DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION ,FlLED DEC-4, l9l5- Patented July 1?, 1917.

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4 11 [@IZWMJ 1. J. ROLFE. REVEBSlNG MECHANISM FOR DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLlCATION FILED DEC-4, 1915. I

Patented July-17,- 191?.

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REVERSING MECHANISM FOR DISPLAY APPARATUS.-

APPLICATION FILE D DEC. 4 I915- Patented July 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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IAN'IHAS J. ROLFE, OF SPRINGVILLE, UTAH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 191?.

Application filed December 4, 1915. Serial No. 65,093.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IANTHAs J. Romp,

acitizen of the United States, residing at Springville, in the county of Utah and State of Utah, have invented new and useful Improvements in Reversing Mechanism for Display Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to reversing mechanism for display apparatus especially designed for use in displaying advertising or other signs, in such a manner as to bring a series of signs successively into view at a display opening and maintain each sign in display position for a predetermined period. a

The object of the invention is to provide novel mechanism for shifting the signs or sign carrier frames embodying a reciprocating carriage provided with dogs to engage and transfer motion to said signs or sign carrier frames, and adapted to be operated by mechanism reversible by the action ofthe carriage itself to shift the carriage for travel in opposite directions, the construction being such that the driving mechanism maybe operated by, a small electric or other motor, so that the device may be employed for window display purposes when desired.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a'front elevation of a display apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation with the front wall offthe casing removed. i Fig. 4 is a rear elevation with the rear section of the casing removed.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view on 5-5 of Fig. 3. I

Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical longitudinal sections showing the carriage at the limits of its movements. Fig. 8 is'a sectional plan view showing in the line full and dotted lines the clutch and locking devices shifted to their different positions.

Fig. 9 is a vertical front to'rear section on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view'of the carriage. I.

In carrying my invention into practice,

I provide a suitable frame or casing 1,

shown in the present instance as including a body portion 2, a detachable front wall 3, and a detachable rear section 4, said front wall and rear section being secured in position by screws or other suitable fasten ings and readily removable for installing the working parts of the apparatus and for repairs and renewal of parts as occasion may require. At one end of the casing the front wall 3 is provided with an observa- 1 tion or displayopening 5, which opening communicates with a display chamber or compartment 6 arranged at one end of the body of the casing, said chamber having as its counterpart a return chamber or compartment 7 at the opposite end of the body of the casing, said chambers or compartments being separated by a partition strip 8. The partition strip 8 is of less width than the depth of the compartments, so as to coii'peratewith the front'wall 3 and suitable rear guide strips 9' to form front and rear guideways 10 and 11 extending between the compartments.

The chambers or compartments 6 and 7 are separated from a base compartment 12 by a horizontal partition 13, forming the bottom wall of said compartments and said guideways and the top wall of the basechamber 12; Secured to the rear wall of the chamber 6' are longitudinally extending bowed springs 14, and secured to the front wall of the chamber 7 are similar springs 15, which springs serve a purpose hereinafter fully described.

Arranged within the casing is a series of signs or sign carrier frames 16 of oblong rectangular form being shown in the present instance, which frames are designed to receive interchangeable sign display,

cards or pictures. These frames are movable between the two compartments 6 and 7 and are designed to be fed from a stack in the return or magazine compartment 7,

through the rear guideway tothe rear of:

the stack in. the front compartment 6, and to be successively shifted from compartment to'compartment,'the foremost frame of the stack in the display compartment being displayed through the opening 5 for a predetermined period and then returned through the front guidewayto themagazine compartment and ready to be again shifted through the same orbit of movement, as will bereadily understood. The springs M Within the compartment 6 are provided for moving the stack therein forwardly to bring the front frame "of thesta'ckinto'display position and in the front guideway, 5 While the springs within the compartment 7 are provided topress thestack of frames therein rearwardl so that "the rearmost frame of the stack-will be disposed Within the rear guideway ready to be moved forward 'to the rear not the display comp'artment. 611 the movement of a frame -in the -"'co"mp'artment 6 'to display position, which occursupon the transfer of a frame from thfe stack within the compartment 7 15 to the stack within the compartment "6 the 'fi afne= siodisplayecbwill be kept inlinewith the "observation "opening for a predetermined period, say ten or more seconds, arising "which the operating mechanism is 0 11 "action to "bring up another sign -frame fi om the' magazinecompartment to the dis- 'fplay coZr'I'r-partmen't.

The mechanism for -shifting "the signs or 7 sign earner frames comprises a r'eciproeatrails 19 in -the compartment 1-2, said ca-rriage leeing i provi'tled with a central lon'gitudina'l'ly exte'nding rack bar 20 meshmg with p-inion QiI, whereby it is adapted to ts driven. "The "carriage' carrife's =at' its -'opp'osfi tef ends "gravity fee'd dogs 22 and 23, 'ea c h proi' i'ded with a weighted farm 24 'whereby it is normal-hhelrli'projected and I may'be 'rtracted under pressure. The re- 'si'te ends and "opposite sides "of the carriage, and each ale-g is prov ided with a shoul'd'er or abutment surface-=25 and'+a wear- I" *wardly eXten'ding and "beveled riguide lip =26 "lea-ding thereto. the beginning 10f the f d motion of the carriage I the abutment su ace of the d-og 22 engages=the :rear end fof t'he "rearcarrier frame of the staCk'in the compartment 7 and' slifdes thesame'doravardlwthrough the rear ="g'uideway to the {rear oif the stack in'the' compartment 16,'said fra me being "brought "into contact with 'lthe k st firings '14 andhecomin'g aip'art'of the stack 5U 'in' fhe chamber b while on the 'bae-kward or new rn motion of the carriage ithe' abi'i-tment surfaceof'the dog 23 engages the rear end (if t'hefront carrier frameofthe stack in F t1 1-e-'co1npartment"6, 'which has b'een wpre- 5B vions'ly" displayed, "and slides the *same throuigh -the front jguid'eway "into i the "compart'ment '7. iks 'the frames are removed frofrn eaGh' 'compaitment and'carried into the other ec partm'ent, "it will "be end ar that the sets of springs ='14" and 15- will engage the g springs-'15 I feedf the frames rea 'rward in-"the 8 5" compartment 7. +As each 'dog travls inacpeetive dogs "'22 and 23 are arranged-'- at opshiifting said-bar inwopposite directions to tively 011 its return motion it engages and rides over the adjacent outer carrier frame and its "beveled lip at the limit of its movement comes into engagement with and snaps 'behindthe "rear edge ofthe carrier frame to which it is to transfer motion, as will be "readily "understood, such construction of the abutment surfaces-and beveled lips preventing the dogs from binding or hanging against the display frames, as w-illibe undcrstood.

The mechanism for actuating and reversing {the motion of the carriage comprises, in addition to *the rack bar 20 and ;;pi-nion 21, a transmission shaft :27 to which said apinion isfi-xed,-and which is adapted to be revolved in opposite directions by a pairiof transmission sprocket wheels 28 and 29, which are loosely mounted on said "shaft. These-sprocket wheels 28 and 29 are provided with' clutch members =28 and 29,-arranged in spaced: relation upon the relatively winner sides of said wheels, and disposed upon 'the shaft between the wheels is a double clutch member 30 which is movable-by =reversesliding movements into engagement with said clutch members-of the ircspective sprocket wheels. Journaled in the casing his a i drive: shaft 3'1 on which isva 1 drive wheel '32 which may be driven by belt or chain from an electric o'r'other suitable' motor, and fixed to 5 this wheel is a sprocket jpinion @33 connected by a drive chain 34: with a sprooket wheel '3'5-of largervdiameteron a countersh'aft 36. On this-countershaft are sprocket pinions 37 an'd 38 which are-con- 'neeted'nvithithe sprocket avheels28 :and =29 "by chains 39 and 40, one-ofsaid chains, chain 39, being crossed-so:that 'upon-acontinuous motion of the drive "sprockets in one direction the -'loose "sprocket nv-heels 28 -:and 29 will" be" driven in opposite directions. The doubleclutch member 30 is provided with pins or trunnionswhichslidablyand *pivota'lly engage :the =arms of a*- yoke =41 pivotedto 'swing laterally in bearings 42- and *whi'c'h is coupled by a linker connecting rod 43 to one arm of a bell crank lever 44c, 1 the other arm of which is connected with a longitudinally unovable reversing baror rod+45 icon-nected at its opposite=-ends with pivoted trip armsior levers 46 and 47adapted to be respectively" engaged and operated by contacts 46' and 47' on then-carriage "for reverse the "direction of "motion of 1 theearriage. When the arm 471s tri-pped :to move the reversing'barltowardithe right hand end o'f' the casing the clutch 39 will be':' engaged with the gear 28 to feed the rcarriage =forward,'whi1e when the' trip arm 46' isaoperated to shift the ba'r toward theleft hand e'nd ot 'the casing the ":clutch "-30 "Will be engaged with the gear 29 to move .thecar- -ri'age rearWa'rdly-*- oronwits return motion. 1

The reversing bar is connected to the inner end of a pair of toggle locking links 48, which are connected at their outer ends with the free ends of plate springs 49 fastened at their opposite ends to a supporting bracket 50 and engaged by a yoke 51 having its arms threaded toreceive retaining nuts 52, said yoke serving as a limitation device to restrict the spread of said arms and as a tensioning device whereby the spring action of the arms may be controlled. These springs serve to lock the toggle locking links beyond center in either direction of movement thereof to hold the bar and clutch 30 in their different positions against casual movement out of such positions, the springs and links serving to control both the reversing bar and its trip arms and the double clutch in this respect, as will be readily understood. Thus when the bar is moved with the clutch in either direction to shift the direction of motion of the carriage the parts will be positively maintained in thrown position until again reversed by the action of the carriage.

In the operation of the device, the construction of which will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the rear sign carrier frame of the stack in the compartment 7 will be engaged by the rear dog of the carriage and moved forwardly be hind the stack in the compartment 6, at the same time that the front sign carrier frame which has been displayed through the opening 5 at the front of the compartment 6 will be engaged by the other dog and moved backward on its return motion into the front of the compartment 7, these springs 14: and 15 in said compartments operate to permit the feeding in and out of the frames while maintaining the same in stack formation and pressing the advance frame of each stack into alinement with the respective guideways. Hence at the limit of working movement of the carriage a sign will be moved forward in the chamber 6 for display, and on the return motion of the carriage the sign which has been on display will be moved rearwardly into the compartment 7, the new sign being maintained in display position until the carriage on its ensuing feed motion brings another frame from the rear of the compartment 7 into the rear of the compartment 6 and on its backward motion moves the displayed sign out of display position. It will thus be evident that the signs will be intermittently fed forward and displayed for predetermined periods, which may be of any desired duration, so that any desired number of display signs may be brought into display position within a given period. It will further be evident that the construction for obtaining the desired result is simple, and yet reliable and efiicient in character, of an inexpensive type, and not liable to easily get out of order. While the construction disclosed is preferred, it will of course be understood that the invention may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I claim 1. In combination with a reciprocating carriage provided with a rack bar, transmission gearing including a pinion meshing with said rack bar and sets of gear elements for alternately reversing the direction of motion of said pinion, a clutch device for alternately throwing said sets of gear elements into and out of action, a longitudinally movable swinging bar for actuating said clutch device, swinging trip members connected with the bar, cooperating trip elements upon the carriage for alternately actuating said trip members, toggle locking links movable into and out of locking engagement with the bar and operative on reverse movements of said bar for engaging and holding the same in thrown position,

' and spring supports for said toggle locking links acting to hold the same secured in re versed working positions.

2. In combination, a reciprocating carriage provided with a rack bar, driven gearing including a pinion meshing with said rack bar for reciprocating the carriage, primary drive gearing, and reversing and transmission gearing between said primary drive gearing and the driven gearing for driving the latter in opposite directions, said reversing and transmission gearing comprising a pair of oppositely rotatable actuating elements, a clutch device for alternately shifting said elements into and out of action, a longitudinally movable swinging bar for actuating said clutch device, swinging trip members connected with the bar, cooperating trip elements upon the carriage for alternately actuating said trip members, toggle locking links movable into and out of locking engagement with the bar and operative on reverse movements of said bar for engaging and holding the same in thrown position, and spring supports for said toggle locking links acting to hold the same secured in reverse working positions.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, IANTHAS J. ROLFE. Witnesses:

A. G. JOHNSON, Gno. W. CLARKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

